Michael_Elliott The Face of Fu Manchu (1965)** 1/2 (out of 4)The first in a five film series starts off with the evil Dr. Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) being executed by having his head chopped off. Scotland Yard Inspector Nayland Smith (Nigel Green) believes that the evil has come to an end but before long he realizes that Fu Manchu is actually alive and with the help of his daughter Lin Lang (Tsai Chin) he plans to kill millions with toxic gas.To date, 1932's THE MASK OF FU MANCHU remains the best film to have the historic character but I think a strong argument could be made that this here is the second best. With that said, while there are plenty of good things on display here, there's no question that this is still a film with plenty of flaws, which is really too bad because with a little editing this here could have been much, much better than it is.There's no doubt that the highlight of the picture (and the series) is the performance of Lee who really does a nice job with the role. This is certainly the type of role that many actors would have just taken the check and sleepwalked through but Lee manages to be very effective here simply because of his body movements. I say that because there's really not too much dialogue for him to work with and instead of screaming his way through the part, Lee must use his eyes and gestures to tell the viewer everything they need to know. I really love how still Lee is and this here just adds an evil quality to the role. The supporting players are also good in their parts with Smith making for the perfect hero to go up against Fu Manchu and there's no doubt that Chin brings a nice sexuality to her role.The film has a pretty good story and I thought the cat and mouse games between the Inspector and Fu Manchu were good. The film also benefits from a pretty good look and there's no doubt that director Don Sharp handles the material well. With that said, the biggest flaw is that the film simply runs a bit too long and I think some editing would have made for a nicer pace. I'd also say that hang more Fu Manchu would have been a major plus since Lee and the character are certainly the highlights. THE FACE OF FU MANCHU kicked off a five film series and it certainly went downhill after this film but this one remains entertaining in a Saturday-matinée type of way.

Glen McCulla Sax Rohmer's fiendish menace from the Orient, the diabolical Dr. Fu Manchu, springs to life on the silver screen embodied by the decidedly European Christopher Lee in this, the first of five fiendish flicks of fright.I find it very hard to take these films seriously, coming back to them after Steve Coogan and Mark Gatiss' superb parody in "Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible". I almost expected the legendary Mr. Lee to come out with lines like 'Something has happened to my Woo-Woo', or indeed 'You have walked into my trap, and now the time has come for me to shut my trap'. However, Lee is superb as always, with able support from the lovely Tsai Chin as Lin Tang, deadly daughter of Fu Manchu. These menaces from the East are ranged against Nigel Green as Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard, and Howard Marion Crawford as his stalwart sidekick Dr. Petrie, who must stop their plan to distil the deadly poison of the Tibetan black hill poppy.Despite an obvious limited budget, with Dublin standing in for 1920s Limehouse, the film holds up well. Co-production cash from Germany means we get a decidedly Teutonic supporting cast (including the gorgeous Karin Dor, probably best known as Helga Brandt in "You Only Live Twice" - costarring Tsai Chin, funnily enough). One of the biggest distractions for me, however, was the sight of Jim Norton, Bishop Brennan of "Father Ted", in the small role of the professor's driver.All good pulpy fun, from the days when it was acceptable to "yellow up" a white actor to play an Asian. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

jamesraeburn2003 *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*Commissioner Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard (NIGEL GREEN) witnesses the execution of Oriental crime lord Fu Manchu (CHRISTOPHER LEE) in Imperial China. However, a few years later back in London, Smith is uneasy because he had a dream in which Fu Manchu was still alive. His nightmare coincides with the fact that a huge crime wave has been erupting all over Europe. It is so well organised that only a criminal of Fu Manchu's stature could be behind it. His closest friend and colleague Dr Petrie (HOWARD MARION CRAWFORD) thinks he's mad, but Smith does some research and discovers that a Chinese actor who was an exact double of Fu Manchu disappeared before the criminal was apprehended. Smith is convinced that it was the actor (in a deep state of hypnosis) whom he saw beheaded while the real Fu Manchu made his escape. Meanwhile, a renowned German scientist called Professor Muller (WALTER RILLA) has disappeared and the body of his manservant was discovered outside of London's Lime House strangled with a red Tibetan prayer scarf, which is the trademark of Fu Manchu's henchmen. Smith fears that his old enemy is in London and has kidnapped Muller for his own evil ends. In order to discover what he was working on, Smith visits Muller's assistant Carl Janssen (JOACHIM FUCHSBERGER) who tells him that they were working on the distillation of the seeds of the "Black Hill Poppy". This is a rare flower that grows in the mountains of Tibet and when the seeds are distilled, it produces a gas that when exposed below freezing point, has the potential to kill up to ten thousand people. Smith's worst fears are confirmed; Fu Manchu and his evil daughter Lin Tang (TSAI CHIN) have got the professor and are forcing him to perfect the gas in order to hold the world to ransom...The fiendish Oriental mastermind Fu Manchu and his adversaries Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard and the coroner Dr Petrie were the brainchild of novelist Sax Rohmer whose series of novels were highly popular during the 1920's. The character of Fu Manchu had appeared on celluloid several times before Christopher Lee inherited the role in 1965. During the twenties a number of two-reel silents were made along with the following talkies. Warner Oland played him in the following talkies made by Paramount, THE MYSTERIOUS DR FU MANCHU (1929), THE RETURN OF DR FU MANCHU (1930) and DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON (1931). In 1939, actor Henry Brandon played him in a serial entitled DRUMS OF FU MANCHU. However, the most famous portrayal before Christopher Lee's was Boris Karloff in MGM's THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932).In the 1960's, Rohmer's novels enjoyed a successful reissue in paperback and producer Harry Alan Towers bought the rights to all the novels and decided to create a series of films featuring Fu Manchu's exploits as a possible rival to the James Bond films. THE FACE OF FU MANCHU was the first in the series and Towers wrote the script under the pseudonym of Peter Welbeck. Director Don Sharp shot the film in Ireland in February and March 1965 and he fought hard to get the time and locations he required. The recreations of 1920's London were actually filmed in parts of Dublin with surprisingly brilliant results. The opening execution sequence was shot at Kilmainham jail in County Wicklow and the prison also doubled as the Tibetan monastery in the climatic scenes. The resulting picture was a hit with both critics and audiences on its release in late 1965 and four sequels subsequently followed. They were THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU (1966), THE VENGEANCE OF FU MANCHU (1967), THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU (1968) and THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU (produced 1968 but shelved until 1972). The series rapidly declined into shambling nonsense in which all aspects of the productions suffered including the loss of period detail, abysmal direction, inadequate plots, poor acting and increasingly shoestring budgets.THE FACE OF FU MANCHU is without doubt the best in this ultimately ill-fated series. It benefits from the stylish direction of Don Sharp who gets fine performances from Lee as Fu Manchu; Tsai Chin as his daughter-in-crime Lin Tang while Nigel Green is absolutely outstanding as Nayland Smith. Smith and his colleague Dr Petrie are very much in the Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson vein and it makes you wish that both Green and Marion-Crawford were both teamed with Sharp to do a Holmes picture. Alas, it never happened. Sharp handles the nonsensical material with considerable skill so that we the audience happily suspend our disbelief and just wallow in it. The action scenes are also a delight including a spirited car chase through the Essex marshes with splendid vintage automobiles. Add to that the atmospheric lighting of Ernest Steward and you have the perfect schoolboy's adventure yarn, which will appeal as much to adults.

HumanoidOfFlesh "The Face of Fu Manchu" is a surprisingly good horror/crime directed by Don Sharp("The Brides of Fu Manchu","Kiss of the Vampire").Fu Manchu was created by British pulp writer Sax Rohmer.This Asian super-villain appeared on screen in early 30's-in "The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu"(1929),"The Return of Fu Manchu"(1930)and in the excellent "The Mask of Fu Manchu"(1932)with Boris Karloff."The Face of Fu Manchu" is the first and best in a series made by exploitation producer Harry Alan Towers.Christopher Lee is excellent as Fu Manchu-the film is stylish and nice to look at.The opening beheading of Lee is a really haunting moment.The other Fu Manchu movies are:"The Brides of Fu Manchu"(1966),"The Vengeance of Fu Manchu"(1967),"The Castle of Fu Manchu"(1969)and "The Blood of Fu Manchu"(1968)-the last two films were directed by Jesus Franco.